An elastic collision is a type of collision in which the total kinetic energy of the system is conserved. This means that the total energy before the collision is equal to the total energy after the collision.
An isolated system is a physical system that does not interact with its surroundings. In the context of elastic collisions, this means that no external forces or energies are acting on the system, allowing for the conservation of kinetic energy.
Conservative forces are forces that are path independent, meaning that the work done by the force is dependent only on the initial and final positions, not the path taken. In elastic collisions, the forces between the colliding objects are considered conservative forces.
In an elastic collision, momentum is conserved because the total mass and velocity of the system remains constant before and after the collision. This is a result of Newton's Third Law of Motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Some common examples of elastic collisions include billiard balls colliding on a pool table, bouncing balls, and air molecules colliding in a closed container. These collisions are considered to be nearly perfectly elastic, meaning that the kinetic energy is conserved with minimal loss due to friction or other external factors.